The main attraction is a safari style drive through loop where you can get up close with large mammals such as the European bison and elk. We were very lucky and had close encounters with the elk family as we drove through (and later on a landrover tour).
Iona and I really enjoyed our trip, she had lots of good questions for the tour guide. Granny came along with us and while she took a break and read the paper Iona and I walked round the hillier areas of the park. On our walk we found many patches of wild blaeberries, the conditions in the park are perfect for them, high and with acidic soil.
The highland wildlife park keeps three polar bears and I am still conflicted about that, large carnivores in captivity (even in relatively large enclosures) throw up a lot of questions. We saw Walker enjoying a swim in his pool and playing with some of the toys he has been provided with for enrichment.
Less controversial was the Scottish wildcat exhibit, I've never seen a wildcat and was excited to meet the the UKs only wild feline. With possibly only around 400 individuals left in the wild they are rarer than the Amur tiger. They are now protected by law and Scottish Wildcat Action are working hard to conserve the remaining cats and educate people who live in areas where wildcats still live about the need to spay, neuter and vaccinate their pet cats to prevent interbreeding and disease outbreaks.
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